This is Part II of our voyage in Laura the boat down the Burgundy Canal, where we travel from Montbard to St-Jean-de-Losne. During this voyage Ivan and I visited many ancient villages including Chateauneuf-en-Auxois, which has been designated as one of the most beautiful villages in France, travelled through lush countryside, ate fresh blackberries, apples and plums straight from the tree and travelled through a tunnel over 3km long. We also visited the city of Dijon, birthplace of Dijon mustard and Gustave Eiffel (Eiffel tower).
Our adventure on the canals of France continues, but not for much longer as we’ll be heading to Australia soon. In this post we travelled up the Yonne River, celebrated Bastille Day in Joigny, and then continued until we reached the magnificent city of Auxerre.
What happens in France when you have months of steady rain followed by a week of heavy rain? Ivan and I and a heap of other people on boats found out – a flood. And for us, that meant the Yonne River was closed to all boat traffic and we had to stay put. Luckily, when the river suddenly closed we just happened to be located in a fabulous city called Sens. And this is where we stayed on Laura the boat for three weeks. Oh well! Or, as the French say, tant pis! We certainly made the most of the wonderful town of Sens.
Continuing north on the Canal du Loing we stopped at the towns of Moret-sur-Loing and St Mammes, which is where the canal joins the Seine River. Here we caught up with some dear boating friends, experienced the giant commercial barges which traverse the Seine and witnessed one of the craziest sports ever – water jousting. We also saw some geese that may have been lost.